Care
by thelastcall
Summary: After a close call with some Kryptonite, Kara isn't feeling so super. Luckily Alex has sent Brainy to take care of her... though he might be taking the task a little too seriously. Set after S3, so some minor spoilers. Fluff. Oneshot.


_Knock Knock Knock_

Kara stirred on the couch, rolling over so she could shove her chilly feet under the throw pillows. She hadn't meant to fall asleep on the couch, and she knew she should move to the bed during this brief moment of mid-nap consciousness… but it had been a long day, longer than a day should be able to be in Kara's opinion.

Things had started off normal enough. Kara spent the morning training at the D.E.O., practicing her cape fighting techniques. Around lunch time she had to stop a grand theft auto turned car chase… which was, honestly, also pretty normal for Supergirl. Nothing she couldn't handle. It wasn't until 2pm that the day really took a turn.

James was supposed to be meeting Clark for something in Metropolis, but Clark never showed and was unreachable by phone. Very Un-Clark-like. Long story short, Kara ended up having to help her cousin fight Bloodsport and his Kryptonite bullets… and in the process got grazed by one. Just a little graze on her left arm by the only substance that can kill her. No big deal. _Nothing she couldn't handle_.

That's what she'd told Alex when her sister had tried to drag her back to the D.E.O. after the battle for a full medical examination. All she wanted to do was go home and rest… and to her surprise, Alex let her go. And she had gone home. And fallen asleep on the couch pretty much immediately even though it was only 7 pm.

 _Knock Knock Knock_

"Kara?" a voice called. Her sleep muddled mind knew that voice. Brainy. How strange, he sounded uncertain. She's dreamt of him before but his voice always sounded confident, the way he did when he knew he was about to blow everyone out of the water with one of his calculations. She liked the look he got in his eye when he was putting that 12th Level Intellect to use. It was cute. So why did he sound so nervous in this dream… and why couldn't she see him? All she saw was darkness…

 _Knock Knock Knock_

"Kara? Are you there?"

Kara pulled her cape off of her face. She wasn't dreaming. She was awake... barely, but awake. And Brainiac 5 was knocking on the door to her apartment. She cursed under her breath as she tried to get her bearings. "Coming! I'm coming, hold on!"

She made her way to the door as quickly as she could in her drowsy haze, almost knocking over a table lamp on the way. When she opened it, she was met with a very concerned looking Brainy. The dark eyebrows of his image inducer altered face knotted in worry at the sight of her.

"Alex sent me to check on you…" he began with uncertainty in his voice, "May I come in?"

"Yes, yeah, of course," Kara said, realizing that in an attempt to appear casual she had been leaning on the doorframe in a way that essentially barricaded the entrance to the loft… and that she hadn't really made any attempt at greeting her friend. She needed to wake up fully and get her act together. "Sorry, I just woke up from a little nap so I'm kind of out of it. Can I get you something to drink or- woah," she turned toward the kitchen a little too fast and almost tripped on her own feet, but luckily Brainy caught her arm and guided her back to the couch.

"I'm going to check your vitals now," he said very matter of factly and began pulling various medical instruments out of his messenger bag. He was dressed in his usual all black getup with the addition of a black standard issue D.E.O. jacket and plain black messenger bag. As he ran his tests, she sunk into the comfortable cushions and let her mind wandered to thoughts off taking him on a trip to the mall.

He placed his laptop down next to where he was seated on her coffee table. "Your vitals are normal. But my tests are showing signs of residual Kyptonite in your system," he stated, but the worry never left his face. "You should be back to normal very soon."

"But…" Kara began for him, knowing he had something else to say but wasn't sure if he should.

"But," he tentatively took the opening, "You seem... unwell."

"How so?"

"You're still in your uniform and you've got," he reached out his hand like he was going to touch her cheek but then pulled back and pointed to the corresponding spot on his own face instead, "dirt… and blood," he touched his arm in the place where the bullet had grazed her arm. "And since I got here you keep looking at me for long stretches of time without saying anything which is weird because you usually talk… a lot."

She shook her head. "Okay, so I'm not feeling 100 percent. But you said it yourself, I'm on the mend."

He assessed her for a moment, fingertips pressed together in a triangle over his chest, elbows resting on his knees, eyes focused on hers… though not really looking at her, no, he was in his own head somewhere, calculating something. She stared back at him which knitted brows and pressed lips waiting for him to come back into the moment.

She watched as his pupils focused and expression returned to his face, but instead of letting her in on the percentages he'd been calculating he quickly rose to his feet and crossed the room. He entered the bathroom, turned the light on, and started running water?

She turned and sat on her knees, watching him over the back of the couch. Through the doorway she could see him sitting on the edge of her tub, fiddling with the knobs. "Brainy, what are you doing?"

"Running a bath," he said as if that were the most normal thing for him to be doing in her apartment. Once he seemed content with the temperature of the water he plugged the drain and stood in the doorway as the tub began to fill. "I was sent here to take care of you because you were shot-"

"Grazed," Kara corrected him.

"-with a Kryptonite bullet," he finished undeterred by her interjection. "You are obviously still recovering from exposure if your impromptu 3 hour couch nap is any indication-"

"3 hours?"

"Approximately, if you fell asleep shortly after arriving home, which it seems like you did."

"Jeez…"

"So… it's my responsibility to provide an environment conducive to your recovery." He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment to turn the water off before approaching the couch to offer Kara a hand standing up. "The first logical step is getting you cleaned up."

Kara accepted her help, letting him pull her to her feet. She squinted, still processing the weirdness of the situation. Maybe the Kryptonite _had_ affected her more than she'd originally thought. "Alex sent you?"

Brainy nodded and made an noncommittal gesture with the arm that wasn't guiding her toward the bathroom. "She was busy… and I was finished with my essential tasks for the evening." His expression shifted to a frown for a split second before returning to one of practiced professionalism, "Would you… prefer I call someone else?"

Kara quickly shook her head, sensing his insecurity. She was embarrassed that he was seeing her in such a frazzled state, but she was glad he was here. Other than Alex she really couldn't think of anyone she'd rather have looking after her. "No, no. I'm glad you're here. You know I enjoy your company, Brainy, it's nice to see you outside of work… even if the situation isn't ideal."

He smiled and nodded, watching from the doorway as she sat on the closed toilet and began to remove her boots. "Yes, it's nice to see your home outside of a mental simulation. It's much cozier in person."

The two looked at each other for a moment, each nodding and smiling not sure what to say to the other until Kara broke the silence. "I think I have the bath situation covered from here…" she began, continuing when she realized Brainy didn't get the hint, "So… if you wanted to um… go into the other room? ...And close the door?"

Brainy flustered, his shoulders tensing, "Yes, other room, good idea."

Kara laughed to herself as she watched him flee. As he closed the door behind himself, she caught sight of herself in the full length mirror on the reverse side and understood why he had been so concerned. She was a mess… it wasn't just a little dirt on her cheek and some fried blood on her arm, she looked like she'd been hit by a car… and then dragged under that car.

She peeled off her uniform and slid into the bath. The water was deliciously warm and it felt amazing on her sore muscles. It smelled nice too… Brainy must have added some of the lavender bath salt she had sitting on the shelf near the towel rack.

Normally a hot bath and the smell of lavender made her sleepy, but tonight it felt like it was making her more aware. Or maybe it was knowing that the bath had been drawn by Brainy that had her mind racing… and the fact that he was on the other side of the door waiting for her to finish her bath. It made sense that Alex had sent him. She had so many responsibilities, it's not like she could just drop everything to come check on Kara as much as she may have wanted to… and Brainy _does_ have medical knowledge… and he's a trusted part of the team. All of that made sense… but on some level it still seemed surreal.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the bathroom door creaking open. She scrambled to pull the shower curtain closed, but the door stopped moving when it was open just a crack… open just far enough for Brainy to stick his arm through and deposit a stack of neatly folded clothes on the corner of the sink without looking.

"Pajamas," he said as he retracted his arm and began to pull the door shut again.

"Thanks," she laughed, relaxing when she realized he wasn't about to burst into the room. She finished washing and shampooing her hair before climbing out of the tub and toweling off. As she brushed her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. With the dirt and grime off, she looked much better… still a little tired, but there were no other signs she'd had a major battle only a few hours ago. Even the bullet wound had already mostly healed, only the slight pink tinge of new skin indicating there had been an injury at all.

She was Supergirl, she didn't _need_ anyone to nurse her back to health… but it was kind of nice to have someone fussing over her, especially when it was someone as thoughtful as Brainy. She smiled to herself as she looked down at the clothes he had picked out: a soft flannel matching pajama set with a light blue plaid pattern. Cute, comfy, and warm - perfect for a lazy night in.

She picked the shirt off the top of the pile, ready to get changed, when something gave her pause. Her eyes widened as she saw that on the pile under the shirt was a pair of socks… and underwear. Simple, heather gray cotton boy shorts and a matching sports bra. They weren't scandalous or risque… but they had been in her underwear drawer… which contained a few items which were less modest. Brainy had been looking in her underwear drawer. Her stomach dropped.

Her face blushed deep red at the thought of her friend casually looking through her intimates. Had he pictured her in them? That thought made her wonder what kind of underwear he wore- but no, she was mad at him. He invaded her privacy. She let the anger erase any thoughts about what Brainy might look like with less clothes.

"You picked out UNDERWEAR for me?" she yelled through the closed bathroom door.

There was the sound of something clattering and then a calm "Yes," yelled from the direction of the kitchen followed by an equally calm, "Are those ones okay? Or do you not wear underwear to bed?"

She pulled the towel tighter around herself and swung the door open, wanting to yell at him to his face… but she wasn't expecting that he'd be standing on the other side of the door wearing her cooking apron with a completely clueless expression on his face.

"If those are wrong I can get you something else," he offered, gesturing to the bedroom.

"NO! No…" She put up her hand, trying to gather her thoughts since this was obviously a misunderstanding. The worried look on his face made it clear he knew she was mad about something, but his suggested solution made it clear he didn't know what exactly. "These are fine. But, in the future, could you not go into my underwear drawer unless I ask you to… which I won't… because I don't want you looking through my underwear."

"Why? You have nothing to be ashamed of," he shrugged, his eyes narrowing in confusion, "Most of your underwear are very nice-"

"BRAINY!" Kara yelled, instinctively tossing her hairbrush at him… not with any force or real aim, just in his general direction to make him stop talking. She could feel her cheeks burning.

He looked at her for a moment before picking the hairbrush up from the floor. "This is a… privacy issue, isn't it?" He handed the brush back to her and then took a step away from the door, turning so as not to look at her, clearly trying to give her space. "Sometimes I'm not the best at… understanding boundaries. I'm sorry if my actions offended you… I just wanted to help."

"I know," Kara said, forgiving him but not letting him off the hook entirely, "but permission is important… this loft is my personal space and some of the stuff here is private. If you're not sure about something being too personal, ask me, okay?"

"Understood," he said, still standing with his side to her, not wanting to look at her in her towel. Apparently he understood _that_ was private. "Is it okay if I continue to use your kitchen?"

"Yeah, the kitchen is fair game," she said, closing the bathroom door over so she could finish getting changed. She continued the conversation through the door, "What are you doing in the kitchen?"

"Cooking," he answered simply, and now that the scented water in the tub was drained, she realized that she could smell spices in the air.

"You can cook?" she asked, buttoning the last button on her sleep shirt as she exited the bathroom.

A small smile crossed his face. "Cooking is science. I'm good at science."

There was that confidence Kara was thinking about earlier. Brainy wasn't boastful or egotistical like Winn and Mon-El could be… he was generally pretty down-to-earth so when he got that little smirk about something you could rest assured he knew what he was talking about.

"Well, that science experiment smells good," Kara joked, sitting down on one of the stool at the kitchen counter, "What is it?"

Brainy started pacing and talking with his hands the way he did when he was explaining something technical at work… but it was cuter because he was still wearing her apron. "I was going to make soup because I understand that's the traditional what you feed to someone who isn't feeling well but all you have is this soup powder," he said and held up a box of soup mix, scrunching his face in disgust, "which is _very_ high in sodium so we're not eating _that_."

"Soup is for sick people anyway," Kara pointed out, "I don't have a cold or the flu, I got shot."

"Grazed," Brainy teasingly repeated her correction from earlier before continuing, "Anyway you don't have to ingredients for _fresh_ soup, but when I was looking through your fridge I noticed you did have the ingredients for fried rice." He dramatically paused and removed the lid from the frying pan on the stove, "so... I made fried rice."

Kara clapped. Homemade fried rice wasn't anything to marvel at, but she knew she didn't have many groceries and it sure smelled a whole lot better than soup from a box.

"It still needs a little time to make sure the egg is cooked all the way… but while you wait," he grabbed a mug off the counter behind him and pulled out the tea steeper, "tea!"

He placed the mug down in front of her and she recognized the scent immediately. It was this special peach ginger spice blend from a little tea shop in Midvale. Since she didn't visit home often, she only depended on care packages from her Eliza to get her fix. "This is my favorite, how did you know?"

"I didn't know… but I kind of hoped," he pressed his fingers together as he explained his reasoning. "I was going to make whichever tea had the least in the tin because reason would say that's the one you drink the most and probably your favorite, but then I remembered how when you're eating candy you always ration them out so you can have more of the flavors you like at the end, so I went for the tea that was older and about halfway full."

"Clever," she smiled, taking a sip.

"Brainy, actually."

They ate the fried rice which tasted exactly as good as it smelled and Brainy told Kara the recipe and listed the nutritional value of each ingredient. "Someday I'll have to get the ingredients to make you something special," Brainy mused as he finished his serving.

"Does your room at the D.E.O. have a kitchen?" Kara asked, realizing she'd never actually seen Brainy's living quarters.

"No. My room is… a room." He said, zoning out a little as he pictured it in his mind. "Bed, desk, dresser with 4 drawers, rolling chair." His eyebrows shot up and he made eye contact, "Don't mistake me. It's very comfortable and I'm grateful for it! It's about the same size as my room on the Legion ship."

Kara smiled and leaned in a little, "But if you're going to be staying here, you should maybe look for a… home, instead of just a room. You're on the D.E.O. payroll now, you can afford an apartment." She began to gather the dirty dishes together, but Brainy gestured for her to sit back down and took the bowls to the sink. He was quiet as he cleaned.

Kara sipped the rest of her tea with her eyes focused on his back. They hadn't known each other that long, but their line of work was stressful and tended to cause strong bonds. She imagined a timeline in which Brainy had been able to return to the future with Mon-El and Winn.

She imagined going into work and not seeing Brainy there. Not being able to seek him out to strategise or banter or chat. He was one of her main sources of conversation with J'onn retired and Alex busy all the time. She couldn't imagine her days without him. It worried her that he was being so quiet- his shoulders looked tense…

"You _are_ planning on staying, right?"

"Yes," he answered a little too quickly as he put the last of the cleaned utensils in the drying rack. "I like it here, in this time. It's just been a while since I've had a _home_. But you're right. I would much rather live somewhere like this with a kitchen and a couch and a window-"

"You don't have a window?" Kara gasped.

He blinked at her shocked reaction, "No."

"Even the cheapest hotel rooms have windows! We need to get you out of there," she said, putting 'apartment hunting' under 'going to the mall to get real clothes' on the 'things we need to do if Brainy is staying' mental to-do list. "We can go on the computer and look at listings."

"I'd like that… but I think perhaps it can do that another time?" Brainy said putting Kara's tea mug in the otherwise empty sink. "You should lie down, you're still recovering."

"Are you in a hurry to get back to your windowless room with your bed and your rolling chair?" Kara asked, heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Not particularly."

She spit her toothpaste into the sink and rinsed, "Great! Then how about we compromise? Bring your laptop over and I'll bookmark some pages for you to look at later," she said, moving into the bedroom.

He did as she said and followed with his D.E.O. issue laptop. He often complained about having to use old tech for work, but it was often easier than trying to make his futuristic tech backwards compatible.

Kara got in bed, sliding her feet under the covers while Brainy sat in the small chair beside Kara's bed that was often reserved for laundry that she needed to put away… but luckily today was clear of clutter. She held out her hands for his computer and he passed it over.

She began typing in the various sites that listed apartments around the city, giving him a rundown of each as she bookmarked them. "Okay so this one has really detailed listings but they charge a finder's fee if you end up renting through them, so maybe that's a last resort… this one has a ton of reasonably priced listings but they're all listed by individuals so the quality can vary… like see, this one doesn't even have photos! Hmm… this site is cool because it lets you set a lot of preferences like if you want a hardwood floor, or a in unit washer, or windows, or _no_ windows-" Kara noticed Brainy was staring at the screen but not responding to anything she said, "You're not paying attention."

"No, I'm sorry," he said shaking his head before turning to her, "thank you for your help, but I'm finding it difficult to focus… Looking at the computer made me think about the case I was working before coming to check on you. That was rude of me, what was it you were saying about hardwood floors?"

Kara smiled, "Don't worry about it. I bookmarked the pages so you can look at them when you feel like it… and you know where to find me if you want help."

She closed his computer and handed it back, expecting Brainy to take it and start preparing to leave so he could get back to whatever work had distracted him… instead he sat back in the chair with the closed computer on his lap and reached to dim the bedroom lamp.

The girl laughed, "Umm, what are you doing, Brainy?"

"Turning down the light so that you can rest," he said simply, seemingly with no intention of leaving the chair beside her bed.

"And… you're staying?"

"I intended to. Would you prefer I go sit in the living room?"

Kara say up straighter against the headboard and turned the lamp back up to full brightness. "Did Alex tell you that you had to stay with me until she could come herself or something?"

"Well… no, she didn't," He said, seeming suddenly unsure of himself- perhaps even a little embarrassed.

"What _did_ she say?" Kara asked.

"She said to take care of you," he said a bit to quickly.

Kara narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.

Brainy fidgeted with his hands, cracking his knuckles before pressing his fingers together. "She approached me and asked that I come check on you and record your vitals. I asked if she wouldn't prefer to to check on you herself, since you two have a closer relationship and the check up would take place in your home… but she said she had business to attend to and that she was sure I would take good care of you."

"And... you're aware that she was using a figure of speech and that you didn't actually have to stay and take care of me, right?"

"I was aware that there was a high probability that she didn't mean it literally," he admitted sheepishly.

"But…" Kara started for him.

"But, when I saw you… so…" he searched for the words, gesturing with his hands, eventually settling on, " _out of it_. You were drowsy and dizzy and… not yourself… and I… I was…"

"Worried?" Kara offered, seeing that he was struggling to express his emotions. "That's sweet, Brainy, but I'm fine. I'm really grateful for everything you've done tonight, but I'm not going to fall to pieces, I'm feeling way better that earlier. You don't have to stay."

"I… I'd feel more comfortable if I could keep an eye on your condition until you've returned to normal. I'd rather not leave you alone in a weakened state," he said, sounding more assertive as he shifted from emotional reasoning to a professional tone. "Would you prefer we move to the D.E.O. so I can monitor your condition there?"

"No! No… I told Alex, I just want to relax at home," Kara pushed her hair back out of her face. "You can stay hang out if you want, but I'm no going anywhere."

"Would it be… _weird_ for me to stay?"

"Not if you don't make it weird," Kara looked at him with a tired smile.

He returned it, tentatively, "And how do I make it less weird?"

"First of all, stop treating me like a patient," Kara began, settling back into the pillows, trying to get comfortable. "I'm not sick, I'm just kind of exhausted… but not _sleepy_ -exhausted. So… do you think you could scooch the TV over here so we could watch something?"

"I don't know about _scooching_ , but I can certainly move the TV so you can see it from bed," he said, getting up from the chair to do as she asked. He pushed the TV cart into the bedroom, luckily it wasn't a far distance and the wires were long enough to reach. "How's this?"

"Perfect," she smiled, holding out her hand, "remote?"

He passed her the remote and she began flipping through channels. It took her a moment to realize Brainy was standing awkwardly next to the bed with his arms folded behind his back. When he noticed her looking at him, he turned and his neutral expression became a smile.

"Okay… if I'm going to relax, you need to relax too," she sighed and slid over from the center of the bed to one side, patting the other. "Sit down."

Brainy's eyes widened, "It's okay for me to sit on your bed? That's not a personal space?"

"I'm giving you permission, aren't I?" She smirked, glad he seemingly learned his lesson from earlier. "Just take your shoes off first… and your jacket, while you're at it. In this time they have a saying: take your coat off and stay a while."

"They have that one in the future too… but I don't normally wear coats," he said, taking off the jacket, folding it, and placing it on the chair before beginning to untie his boot laces. "But, I thought it made me look inconspicuous. I wanted to blend in on the walk over."

After taking off his shoes and neatly placing them under the chair where he'd put the jacket, he sat on the bed, above the covers. He crossed his legs at the ankles and folded his hands over his stomach, staying respectfully on his side of the bed.

Kara began channel surfing again, but glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You know… you can turn your image inducer off too... if you want. If it's more comfortable."

"I'm comfortable," he said, shrugging slightly, "It doesn't feel like anything."

"I know," Kara nodded, almost dropping the subject but finding herself unable to. She spoke slowly, trying to pick her words in a way that wouldn't offend him. "It's just that… well, I got to know you without the image inducer… so this face looks kind of like… a mask to me?"

"Oh…" Brainy sounded a little disappointed.

"It's a nice mask!" Kara tried to backtrack, "It's cute- you're cute… but it's just… I don't know, umm… I'd rather you look like… you?"

He turned to her, his eyebrows drawn together, "Really? You wouldn't feel more comfortable if I looked… human?"

"You're not human. And neither am I."

"Yes but this facade could pass for Krypotian… or Daxamite… and those are forms you're more familiar with… and I'm fully aware that my natural appearance can be a little off-putting to those who aren't accustomed to it-"

She stopped him with her hand on his forearm, "Brainy… Querl, I don't find it off-putting. If you'd like to keep the image inducer on, that's fine… but you've been using it so much that I kind of miss looking at you and seeing… well… _you._ "

He let the illusion drop, revealing his true appearance. In the warm light from the bedside lamp his skin almost twinkled. His cheeks looked like they had a natural layer of glitter… combined with the glowing spots on his forehead, he reminded her of a bioluminescent fish... or maybe, more accurately with his icy white hair, he reminded her of the aurora borealis… something unique and unusual, but beautiful. Kara smiled warmly at him and for a moment he looked surprised to see that expression on her face directed at him, but soon he returned it and let the tension drain from his body. He looked truly at ease for the first time since arriving at the apartment.

Kara returned to chanel surfing before stopping on the classic movie network, recognizing the scene instantly. "Oooh! This is a good movie! I haven't seen it in forever! You don't mind black and white movies do you?"

"I don't believe I've ever watched anything in black and white before… I've read about black and white films, but not many survived to my time," he said, watching with interest as the actress on the screen walked down a dark alley, her white dress contrasted against the black background.

Kara smiled, "I think you'll like this one. It's a noir- a detective story. We missed a few minutes of the beginning, but I'd hope a 12th level intellect can use context clues."

He smirked in reply, "I'll do my best."

The two watched the movie in comfortable silence, and soon the exhaustion that Kara earlier swore wasn't sleepy-exhaustion turned into the sleepy kind.

* * *

What a nice dream… being held… holding someone. It had been a while since Kara had been held in the waking world, so she planned on staying in this dream as long as she could, even if it meant being a little late to work. The dream was so realistic. Even though she couldn't see anything… she knew exactly who she was cuddling. She could smell the organic deodorant he insisted on using and she could feel the symbol on his shirt that mirrored the one on his forehead under where her hand rested on his chest. Brainy.

She let out a sigh and cuddled closer to him, feeling his arm that was under her neck wrap tighter around her shoulders in response, though his deep breaths let her know Dream-Brainy was still asleep. She was debating waking him up when she heard a voice.

"Kara, are you up yet?"

Alex. Weird. Get out of here, Alex, this is a cuddle dream.

"How are you feeling? I brought you a smoothie- it's banana chocolate," Alex's voice rang enticingly. Hmmm chocolate, maybe it was time to switch gears on this dream and follow the chocolate banana smoothie storyline… "It looks so good that I'm going to drink it if you don't get out of bed, sleepy b- OH MY GOSH, Brainiac Five is in my sister's bed."

Kara felt the body beside her jolt and quickly realized that she wasn't dreaming. She sat up and opened her eyes to see Alex standing in the entrance to her room holding a smoothie in one hand and covering her eyes with the other as if she'd just seen something she shouldn't have… even though the scene was pretty innocent. Brainy had stayed above the covers all night, where he had been when they were watching the movie. The only thing that had changed was that he had one arm wrapped around her shoulders and she had one arm draped over his torso. Completely innocent!

Though, Brainy was doing a good job of looking guilty. His eyes were wide and he was frozen in place as Kara quickly scrambled out of bed to lead her sister out of the room.

"It's not what you think- or it might be what you think- I'm not sure what you're thinkin-" Kara babbled before gathering herself and giving a clear explanation, "We must have passed out watching movies."

"You're an adult and you don't have to explain you actions to me," Alex said calmly, handing Kara the smoothie. She then shook her head and looked up with an amused expression, "Though I have to say, I did _not_ see this one coming."

The younger Danver gritted her teeth, not appreciating her sister's teasing, and whispered harshly, "You sent him here!"

They paused for a moment, their conversation going completely silent as Brainy quickly crossed the apartment from the bedroom to the bathroom, not looking at either of them. As soon as the door clicked shut they resumed.

"Yeah, to do a quick medical evaluation… not to Netflix and chill," Alex responded, far too tickled by the situation.

"We _didn't_ do anything," Kara insisted, "But if he _had_ , what's wrong with that? Brainy is… well, first of all he's smart. Secondly, he's…"

"Blue?" Alex offered impishly.

Kara was about to respond when Brainy emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and with his jacket and boots on… and with his image inducer making him look human. He stiffly crossed the room toward the girls who were near the high top kitchen table.

"I hope it's okay I used your mouthwash," he said, hands folded behind his back and not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, that's totally fine," She nodded and smiled, trying to act like this wasn't the most awkward morning she'd had in years, though not pulling it off successfully.

"Alright, I'm going to-..."

"Yeah..."

"And you're-..."

"Uh-huh. And you..."

"Yes. I'll see you-..."

"Yeah. I'll be there."

"Okay." Brainy took a deep breath and nodded a greeting/farewell to Alex, "Director Danvers," and then made a hasty exit from the apartment.

Kara sighed and took a deep sip of her smoothie.

"Wow, between the two of you that was almost half a conversation," Alex observed as she took a sip of a second smoothie she must have bought for herself. "Sooo… did you two nerds at least kiss? Hold hands? Or was it _all_ stuttering in each other's general direction?"

Kara gave her sister an exasperated sigh as she headed to her bedroom to pick out an outfit for the day.


End file.
